FAA-Approved Parts — Certification Categories
When your A&P signs off a parts installation in your logbook, the entry implicitly relies on one of four FAA-approved sources for that part. Knowing which category a part falls in is the difference between a clean annual and a discrepancy item.
1. Type Design parts
Also called OEM parts. Produced by or for the type certificate (TC) holder — Cessna, Piper, Textron, Beech, Cirrus, etc. — under their Production Certificate. Shipped with an 8130-3 tag and the OEM part number. This is the original design configuration of your aircraft.
2. PMA parts (14 CFR 21, Subpart K)
Produced by a company other than the TC holder under a Parts Manufacturer Approval. Regulatorily equivalent to Type Design parts for form, fit, and function. See our PMA explainer for the full picture.
3. TSO parts (14 CFR 21, Subpart O)
Technical Standard Order parts are appliances and accessories approved to an FAA performance specification — radios, intercoms, transponders, ELTs, life rafts, seat belts, instruments. A TSO approval is not an installation approval by itself; the installing mechanic must confirm the TSO part is compatible with the aircraft (typically via an STC, an aircraft-specific AML, or a field approval on Form 337).
4. Standard Parts (AC 20-62E)
Commercial hardware produced to a published, consensus-based specification: MS, NAS, AN, AND, SAE, ASTM, MIL-STD, and similar. Standard Parts do not require individual FAA approval because the specification itself is the quality gate. Bolts, nuts, rivets, cotter pins, many fasteners, and some non-structural brackets fall here. Always confirm by AC 20-62E that the specific hardware you are sourcing qualifies.
Owner-produced parts (14 CFR 21.9(a)(5))
Not a category AAP supplies, but worth knowing: under very narrow conditions, the aircraft owner may produce a part for installation on their own aircraft without FAA PMA. The owner must participate in the design, manufacture, or inspection of the part. Using this path for a part that is widely available as PMA typically fails a careful IA review.
Required paperwork
- 8130-3 Airworthiness Approval Tag — shipped with Type Design, PMA, and TSO parts. Used-serviceable parts get a dual-release 8130-3 from the overhaul facility.
- Certificate of Conformance — typical for Standard Parts and some high-volume PMA consumables.
- COO and lot traceability — required for any primary structure repair part.
Questions worth asking your A&P before you order
- Is there an active AD on this P/N and does it drive a replacement interval?
- Is there an SB (service bulletin) that supersedes this P/N with a newer revision?
- Does the aircraft maintenance program specify OEM-only?
